Rating: C+
Dir: Justin Shilton and Rob Zazzali
Star: Josh Gilmer, Gabrielle Montes de Oca, Yvans Jourdain, Alexandra Corin Johnston
I think my general aversion to the “found footage” genre might have worked in this entry’s favour. I noticed the similarities to others of its kind, perhaps most obviously, Paranormal Activity. But it’s a good fourteen years since I last saw any film in that franchise: I wasn’t even aware there are now seven of them. So, if this might not be particularly original, it isn’t something I’ve seen recently. It follows couple Shane (Gilmer) and Abby (Montes de Oca), who move into their new home, intent on fixing it up to provide material for their social media. Spooky happenings ensue, of the escalating kind, with Shane the focus.
Really, that’s it, plotwise. The ever-present cameras are explained, partly by the social media angle, partly by a sleep study for which the couple sign up. Abby is the sceptical one, blaming everything on Shane’s mental dysfunction. Doors mysteriously closing themselves? It’s just a draught; they do go to bed with the window open, after all. The doctor running the study reckons Shane’s sleepwalking and other bizarre actions while unconscious, are tied to trauma in his childhood. But the victim is convinced there’s something paranormal at play, a ouija board spelling out JOHN in blood (top). He gets support from Gabriel (Jourdain), a medium he calls in, who also discovers something unsettling about the history of the house. Abby thanks him for his concern, and shows Gabriel the door.
This offers few surprises, on the way to the final freeze-frame and wrap-up captions. However, the execution is good enough to pass muster, despite my limited tolerance for the subgenre. Mercifully, the footage which has been found is largely stable, and so unlikely to provoke motion sickness. The resources and shooting schedule here were limited, yet I was rarely reminded of the fact. But the key to this working might be Gilmer and Montes de Oca, who are solid: convincing as a couple, and as social media influencers. They need to be, because they are in every scene, separately or more often together. Outside of the sleep study office, the film rarely leaves the house and its immediate environs. However, there’s still enough variety to keep things watchable.
I did find it a little slow to get to the meat of the sandwich. Since you may well figure out where it’s going (and I wasn’t wrong), watching Shane meandering around the house, muttering to himself, is not as enthralling as the film tries to make it. Nor is it as successful at mining the concept of “influencer horror” as Deadstream. Indeed, the social media elements are increasingly sidelined, and all but forgotten by the time things ramp up in the final reel. Yet, the sparseness and general simplicity of the concept may be a good thing. This is more concerned with making sure the basics are correct, and gets enough of them right to merit a passing grade.
The film is available to stream now, through Apple TV and Amazon Prime.